Stefano Colantuono concedes Atalanta felt the pressure of challenging for Europe after their capitulation to Roma.

“Maybe we did allow them too much space, but they move the ball around so quickly that it’s difficult to stop them,” he told Sky Sport Italia after their 3-1 defeat.

“It’s true we could’ve done a lot better tonight, as conceding on the counter in the last minute of the first half was a killer blow.

“We moved badly and YohanBenalouane came out when he shouldn’t have done, leaving a gaping hole in the defence.

“It’s a shame, as we had the opportunity to get a result this evening with Roma missing so many players in the middle of the park, but we didn’t make the most of our chances.”

Since setting a new club record with six consecutive victories, Atalanta have now lost two on the bounce.

“Are we suffering from vertigo? I don’t know, but we always try to do our best. The other clubs have more competitive squads and greater strength in depth, plus they are probably accustomed to being always on point and under pressure. That can make the difference in the long run.

“I don’t know if it’ll be a head-to-head with Verona for Europe, as Parma and Lazio at this moment are in control. We’ll try to play our game and that includes Milan at home, as we’ve always done well in that fixture.

“We’ll aim to stay up there and give it our best, but whatever happens now it has still been an excellent season.”

The Coach was asked about Atalanta’s stand-out player, Giacomo Bonaventura.

“Bonaventura’s improvement has been exponential and I think he’s ready for another step up in his career.”